Preview — The Garden of Allah
by Robert Smythe Hichens

The Garden of Allah

A sensation from its initial publication, Hichens' novel about a British woman traveling alone in the Algerian desert and her affair with a fallen Trappist monk inspired a play and several film versions.

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When Domini was nineteen and had just been presented at court, her mother, formerly a devout Catholic, had scandalized everyone by running away with a lover. Her father now blasphemed the Church and led a dissipated life. Domini is now thirty-two. Her father has died and she has come to Africa to seek peace with only her French maid, Suzanne, for a companion. She is soon acquainted with a young Arab named Batouch who will be their guide in this strange and exotic land. As she is embarking on theWhen Domini was nineteen and had just been presented at court, her mother, formerly a devout Catholic, had scandalized everyone by running away with a lover. Her father now blasphemed the Church and led a dissipated life. Domini is now thirty-two. Her father has died and she has come to Africa to seek peace with only her French maid, Suzanne, for a companion. She is soon acquainted with a young Arab named Batouch who will be their guide in this strange and exotic land. As she is embarking on the train journey to Beni-Mora Domini comes in contact with a fellow passenger, a tall man with no social skills, a "boor" as she terms him. Domini is fascinated by the desert, it seems to call to her. She also begins take an interest in the stranger as she sees his face illuminated by the setting sun....more

There's a classic movie based on this book staring Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper, which I've managed to persistently miss even though I'm a huge fan of both. So I looked everywhere for a synopsis of the movie and the book, and didn't find any that seemed very helpful; bought the book, and slogged through all 480 pages. Each sentence is well written and thoughtful, and the conceptual story is good, but after the first 75 pages, I gotta say, I found the book burdensome. The first 400 pages follThere's a classic movie based on this book staring Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper, which I've managed to persistently miss even though I'm a huge fan of both. So I looked everywhere for a synopsis of the movie and the book, and didn't find any that seemed very helpful; bought the book, and slogged through all 480 pages. Each sentence is well written and thoughtful, and the conceptual story is good, but after the first 75 pages, I gotta say, I found the book burdensome. The first 400 pages follow the emotional, religious, and philosophical journey of a world-weary woman through the desert. To clarify on the "emotional," she's responsive to each leaf, star, and grain of sand - hence the 400 pages. At some point, you really need significant happenings in in those 400 pages to maintain some interest.

With Hichens no Samuel Butler, it's emotionally exhausting to weed through all her...emotions. So I took periodic breaks from this book and finished six other books in between going back to the purgatory of Garden of Allah. I knew there was a point to the story, but I felt like it took forever to get there.

In the last 80 pages, it was a relief to finally get some true action out of the protagonists: we discover why the male tourist that she had been reacting to during her journey is so tormented (the one that the natives had been obliquely warning her against), and what she determines must be done. After the action is taken, we get one page, telling the story eight years later, and we're all through. I can easily see how this book could be condensed into movie form. I'm glad I know the story, but I wouldn't repeat this investment....more

Rich chick Domini eats prays loves her way through the Sahara on a spiritual journey to find herself. I got as far as I did in the book by skimming chunks of text. It's just so skimmable. I suppose I could have finished it eventually but I've got other books to read.

Robert Smythe Hichens was a satirist and critic, having studied at Clifton College, the Royal College of Music, and the London School of Journalism. He was a friend of Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas.